Charlie Hebdo editors: 'We are not naive' | Books | The Guardian Books Charlie Hebdo editors: 'We are not naive' At a panel convened in New York to discuss the French magazine’s award from PEN for courage, its editors say it is power they mean to provoke, not religion Editor-in-chief of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo Gérard Briard, looks on as French cartoonist Rénald Luzier, aka Luz, blows a kiss. Photograph: Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images Michelle Dean in New York Tuesday 5 May 2015 14.09 EDT Last modified on Thursday 11 August 2016 06.29 EDT Close This article is 1 year old “The thing that surprised me the most,” Charlie Hebdo’s editor-in-chief Gérard Biard told an audience on Tuesday morning, “was the bells of Notre-Dame that rang for us”. He was speaking on a panel at the Arthur L Carter journalism school at New York University. The French satirical weekly is to receive the PEN American Center’s Toni and James C Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage award at a gala as part of the PEN World Voices festival.

And the honour has kicked up a ruckus among some the novelists, journalists, and literary writers who form PEN’s large and diverse membership . (Full disclosure: this reporter is a member of the PEN American Center.) The objection is embodied by a letter that more than 200 PEN members have signed , “there is a critical difference between staunchly supporting expression that violates the acceptable, and enthusiastically rewarding such expression.” Boiled down, the concern is that Charlie Hebdo is not an appropriate icon of admirable speech because its cartoons occasionally wield racist stereotypes. Charlie Hebdo’s supporters say they are wielded for anti-racist purposes; the doubters are not so sure. There did not seem to be any signatories of the letter in attendance at the panel, though they had given organisers a statement that was read aloud. “The colleagues on the panel today were victims of an inexcusable crime, and they deserve to be treated with the respect one gives to the recently bereaved, whatever one might think about their work,” it said in part.

“The panel on Tuesday should be about getting to know [them] … And we don’t think you need to find someone to speak in opposition to them.” As for PEN, it defends the award as being not about the artistic merit of the cartoons. And: “We welcome this debate,” Suzanne Nossel, PEN’s executive director said. Biard and Jean-Baptiste Thoret , Charlie Hebdo’s film critic, who will accept the award on the magazine’s behalf, did not really directly respond to the debate. But they did say they too were ambivalent about their new roles as free speech icons in ways which echoed some of their critics’ concerns. “I would have liked to be there the first time [Republican and former California governor Arnold] Schwarzenegger received his issue of Charlie Hebdo ,” said Thoret sarcastically, pointing to one of the resolutely leftist magazine’s more unlikely supporters in the wake of January’s violence. “When you say: ‘Everybody is Charlie,’” Thoret said, referring to the “Je Suis Charlie” slogan that consumed social media and became a subject of some debate among those who found its style uncomfortable, “We have two waves of reactions.” At first, he says, of course he agrees.

But then, he added, he realises that the slogan itself “doesn’t mean anything”. It will take months, Thoret said. “We’ll see the way the debate [over freedom of expression] is going” then, he said. It would be horrible, he said, to find himself surrounded by people who all agree with each other. It would remind him, he said, as a film critic, of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. They were happy for the support but, he added: “We are not naive.” The style Biard and Thoret adopted for the presentation was more of gentle scepticism and teasing.

Asked to describe the position of Charlie Hebdo in France today, as well as its heritage in French satire, Biard joked: “I must assure you that we don’t eat children, and we don’t eat believers either.” He went on to explain that Charlie Hebdo sees itself as “political”, meaning that in its satire it espouses a number of principles, which he listed: “Fighting against racism, fighting against all discriminations, discriminations against minorities, against women, against gay people, against weak people, socially weak people, poor people.” He added: “And we always fight the right wing, and the extreme right wing, even more than the Catholics, even more than religions.” It is the political use of religion, he repeatedly emphasized, that offended Charlie Hebdo. The signature value he wanted Charlie Hebdo to represent, he said, was debate. “For me, it’s good to debate,” Biard added, “It’s not good to kill people, even in Texas.” Events in Garland, Texas, where two gunmen were killed trying to ambush a Muhammad cartoon contest run by a rightwing group , were obviously on people’s minds.

Biard and Thoret were asked what distinguished them from Pamela Geller , the hardline anti-Islamic pundit in charge of the group that ran the contest. Biard was dismissive of the comparison. “The thing is,” he answered, “when we make a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad, or Jesus, or Moses, we don’t mock or attack people. We mock or attack institutions. Representatives. Powers. And, again, political powers.” He also pointed out that of Charlie Hebdo’s many, many covers, very few were about prophets. Most were about the right wing of French politics. The fundamental difference, he said, is that Charlie Hebdo doesn’t want to extinguish Islam. Meanwhile, Geller, he said, “wakes every morning and thinks, ‘How can I defy these people?’” Giard’s morning thoughts, he said, are more on the order of: “Where’s my coffee?” French Newspaper Publishes Cartoons Mocking Muhammad - The New York Times The New York Times Europe |French Magazine Runs Cartoons That Mock Muhammad Search By SCOTT SAYARE and NICOLA CLARK SEPT.

19, 2012 Continue reading the main story Photo Stéphane Charbonnier, the editorial director of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, spoke to reporters in Paris in 2012. Credit Fred Dufour/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images PARIS — Calling itself a defender of free speech and a denouncer of religious backwardness, a French satirical newspaper on Wednesday published several crude caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, images viewed as a provocation by many Muslims and condemned by the French government as irresponsible at a time of violence and unrest across the Islamic world. In South Asia and the Middle East, protests continued Wednesday over an amateur video, titled “The Innocence of Muslims” and produced in the United States, which also disparages the prophet. Given that context, the French government had urged the weekly newspaper, Charlie Hebdo , to reconsider printing the illustrations, some of which depict Muhammad naked and in pornographic poses. The newspaper refused; after Charlie Hebdo arrived at newsstands on Wednesday, the government announced that French embassies, consulates, cultural centers and schools in about 20 countries would be closed Friday as a precautionary measure.

Security will be raised at embassies and consulates, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said, though no specific threats against French targets have been identified. Accustomed to denunciations by the government, Muslims and almost every other religious or political group in France , Charlie Hebdo stood by its editorial choice. “We’re a newspaper that respects French law,” said Gérard Biard, the editor in chief. “Now, if there’s a law that is different in Kabul or Riyadh, we’re not going to bother ourselves with respecting it.” Advertisement “What are we supposed to do when there’s news like this?” Mr. Biard asked. “Are we supposed to not do that news?” Photo A Lebanese soldier helped secure the residence of the French ambassador in Beirut. Credit Mohamed Azakir/Reuters French officials acknowledged the newspaper’s right to publish as it pleased, within the limits of the law, but deplored its choice to print images that might be reasonably expected to cause violence. “In the present context, given this absurd video that has been aired, strong emotions have been awakened in many Muslim countries,” Laurent Fabius, the foreign minister, told France Info radio.

“Is it really sensible or intelligent to pour oil on the fire?” In a statement, the French Council of the Muslim Faith warned that the cartoons risked “exacerbating tensions,” but urged French Muslims “not to cede to provocation” and to express their grievances via the courts. An appeal for calm will be read during Friday Prayer in several hundred mosques across the country, the rector of Paris’s Grand Mosque announced. The Arab League denounced the illustrations, as did the White House. “We don’t question the right of something like this to be published,” Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, told reporters. “We just question the judgment behind the decision to publish it.” In Egypt, where protesters last week attacked the American Embassy, the Muslim Brotherhood said the cartoons were blasphemous and hurtful, and called upon the French judiciary to condemn the newspaper. Mahmoud Ghozlan, a spokesman, noted that French law prohibited Holocaust denial. Similar provisions might be made for comments deemed blasphemous under Islam, he suggested. “If anyone doubts the Holocaust happened, they are imprisoned,” Mr. Ghozlan told Reuters. “It is not fair or logical” that the same not be the case for those who insult Islam, he said.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story There were no reports of protests over the caricatures on Wednesday, but demonstrations against “The Innocence of Muslims” continued across the globe. In the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, protesting lawyers broke into the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave, shouting anti-American slogans. Protesters rallied in Peshawar and Lahore as well. Photo A French policeman stood guard outside Charlie Hebdo's offices in Paris on Wednesday. Credit Michel Euler/Associated Press In an apparent bid to control the momentum of the protests, the Pakistani government declared next Friday a national holiday in honor of Muhammad, and encouraged peaceful protest. The government has already banned YouTube, where the video first surfaced. Hundreds reportedly protested in Sri Lanka, where effigies of President Obama were burned, and in Afghanistan, where a suicide bomber killed 14 people on Tuesday, apparently in retaliation for the film. In Lebanon, where the Shiite group Hezbollah has called for protests against the film, thousands marched in the city of Tyre on Wednesday, chanting anti-American slogans. In France, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the government would block a series of protests planned in several cities for Saturday in response to the video.

“There is no reason for us to let a conflict that doesn’t concern France come into our country,” Mr. Ayrault told RTL radio. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy Stéphane Charbonnier, the editorial director of Charlie Hebdo, challenged that decision. “Why should they prohibit these people from expressing themselves?” Mr. Charbonnier asked. “We have the right to express ourselves, they have the right to express themselves, too.” Police officers were sent Wednesday to guard the offices of Charlie Hebdo, in eastern Paris. The newspaper’s former headquarters were gutted by a firebomb last year after the publication of another issue featuring images of Muhammad. Mr. Biard, the editor in chief, described the newspaper as “ atheist ” and “democratic,” but also a defender of France’s fervent secularism, known as “laïcité.” “We’re a newspaper against religions as soon as they enter into the political and public realm,” Mr. Biard said. Religious leaders, and Muslim religious leaders in particular, have manipulated their French followers for political reasons, he asserted.

“You’re not meant to identify yourself through a religion, in any case not in a secular state,” Mr. Biard said. Declan Walsh contributed reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan, and Waqar Gilani from Lahore, Pakistan. A version of this article appears in print on September 20, 2012, on Page A8 of the New York edition with the headline: Paper in France Publishes Muhammad Caricatures. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Paris Reels After Deadly Attack on Satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo Paris Reels After Deadly Attack on Satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo By Lucy Draper and Barney Guiton On 1/7/15 at 6:22 AM Firefighters carry an injured man on a stretcher in front of Charlie Hebdo's offices. A source told French news channel France 2 that the magazine was holding their weekly editorial meeting when the attack took place. Philippe Dupeyrat/AFP/Getty Images World Paris Shootings Ten journalists and two policemen were killed in an shooting attack Wednesday at the Parisian headquarters of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Police confirmed that four celebrated cartoonists are among the dead, including Stephane Charbonnier, the editorial director of the magazine, who was known as Charb. Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, has told journalists that three attackers were involved and that everything was being done to "neutralise as quickly as possible the three criminals that committed this barbaric act”. The gunmen fled the scene after a shootout with police and a manhunt is now underway with The Guardian reporting that over 3,000 officers are now on the streets of Paris. Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week A police union spokesman, Rocco Contento, told French newspaper Libération that three men entered the magazine’s offices at around 11.30am local time armed with Kalashnikovs and shotguns. “They opened fire on everyone, it was butchery, a real slaughter,” he said. Cartoonist Corrine Rey, who is known as Coco, told French publication L’Humanite that the gunmen had forced her to open the door when she encountered them on the doorstep after she’d picked up her daughter from nursery.

“As I got to the front door of the building, two masked, armed gunmen brutally threatened us. They wanted to come in, go up. I typed out the code. They shot on Wolinski, Cabu… it lasted five minutes. I took shelter under a desk. They spoke perfect French. They said they were from al-Qaeda.” Another witness told the Telegraph that the shooters had told a passerby to “tell the media that this is al Qaeda in Yemen”. The police spokesman later told reporters that the attackers had fled the scene in a getaway car, driving to north-east Paris where they abandoned the vehicle and hijacked a second car. Forensic examinations are now being carried out on the abandoned car. Videos show a gun battle with police in the streets outside Charlie Hebdo’s offices.

William Molinié, a journalist for 20minutes tweeting from the scene, posted a picture showing a police car with bullet holes in its windscreen: Voiture de police cible tirs bvd richard Lenoir #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/1CvlyEAYUP â€” William Molinié (@WilliamMolinie) January 7, 2015 AFP reported that after the attack, the gunmen shouted: “We have avenged the prophet." A 33-year-old estate agent who witnessed the attack, Cédric Le Béchec, told Britain's Telegraph that prior to the attack the shooters had stopped a man in the street and said: "Tell the media that this is Al Qaeda in Yemen." A source told French news channel France 2 that the magazine was holding their weekly editorial meeting when the attack took place. However, Gerard Biard, the editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo, was in London at the time of the attack. In an interview with France Inter radio, translated by the Press Association, he said: “I am shocked that people can have attacked a newspaper in France, a secular republic. I don’t understand it.

“I don’t understand how people can attack a newspaper with heavy weapons. A newspaper is not a weapon of war.” He also said that the magazine had not received warning or violent threats: “Not to my knowledge, and I don’t think anyone had received them as individuals, because they would have talked about it. There was no particular tension at the moment.” French President Francois Hollande made a statement at the scene in which he called the shooting a terrorist attack and an act “of exceptional barbarism”, and said that police are still hunting the perpetrators. He also and also said that four of those wounded are “between life and death”. THE LATEST NEWS IN PICTURES Launch Slideshow In Pictures: Charlie Hebdo Attack 12 people were killed in a shooting January 7 at the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. 22 PHOTOS British prime minister David Cameron tweeted his condemnation of the attack, also labelling them as an act of terror, saying: “The murders in Paris are sickening. We stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press.” The White House has issued a statement condemning the attacks in “strongest possible terms”.

“Everybody here at the White House are with the families of those who were killed or injured in this attack. Senior officials at the White House have been in close touch with their counterparts in France this morning," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. “The United States stand ready to work closely with the French” to help them investigate the attack, he added. The city has now been placed on the highest terrorism alert with The Guardian reporting that newspaper offices, stations and museums have been placed under police protection. Various media has emerged of the gunmen shooting at police and fleeing the scene. Elise Bathet, a journalist at Le Monde tweeted this picture which allegedly show the attackers facing a police car: Les tireurs de #ChalieHebdo face à une voiture de police.

Ils ont fait feu, les policiers ont répliqué puis reculé pic.twitter.com/Ld1sxkRLvW â€” Elise Barthet (@EliseBarthet) January 7, 2015 A video taken by Martin Boudout of the Premières Lignes agency allegedly shows perpetrators shooting and shouting "Allahu Akbar", which means “God is [the] greatest”: A video was posted on Facebook which appeared to show the attackers executing a wounded policeman, although the footage has since been removed. Charlie Hebdo has attracted threats in the past for its cartoons and caricatures. Its offices were firebombed in November 2011 after it ran a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammed on its cover. This week’s edition, which came out this morning, carried a cartoon of Michel Houellebecq, author of a controversial novel, Submission, about a Muslim leader running France according to conservative Islamic law, on its cover. The last tweet sent from the Charlie Hebdo account before the shooting depicted ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Meilleurs vœux, au fait.

pic.twitter.com/a2JOhqJZJM â€” Charlie Hebdo (@Charlie_Hebdo_) January 7, 2015 The cartoon caption reads: “Baghdadi also vows: ‘And especially health!’” with the tweet reading “Best wishes, by the way” Gun attack on French satirical magazine kills 12 – Channel 4 News France Gun attack on French satirical magazine kills 12 Gunmen armed with assault rifles kill 12 people in an attack on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Share on Twitter (Warning: this video contains graphic scenes which some viewers may find distressing) French President Francois Hollande has described the attack as being “without doubt a terrorist attack”. Four more people are seriously injured. Graphic footage has been posted on social media, showing two men dressed in black shooting and injuring a police officer in the street before running over to shoot the officer dead on the pavement. The two men then return to a black car stopped in the road before the video ends. I don’t understand how people can attack a newspaper with heavy weapons. A newspaper is not a weapon of war.

Gerard Biard, editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo French news website 20minutes.fr reported one eye witness as saying the men shouted as they approached the building: “You say to the media that it was al-Qaeda in Yemen”. Confirmed deaths Cartoonist Corine Rey told the French weekly Humanite that she was forced at gunpoint to open the office door, and then hid under a desk as the shooting took place. Her fellow cartoonists Stephanie “Charb” Charbonnier, Jean Cabu, Bernard “Tignou” Verlhac and George Wolinski were reported to have been killed in the attack, as well as economist Bernard Maris who was a Charlie Hebdo shareholder. Mr Charbonnier was editor in chief of the magazine when it was targeted in a 2011 arson attack after running a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. He was included in a 2013 Wanted Dead or Alive for Crimes Against Islam article published by al-Qaeda’s magazine “Inspire”. Charlie Hebdo’s editor-in-chief Gerard Biard, who was in London at the time of the attack, has told France Inter: “I don’t understand how people can attack a newspaper with heavy weapons.

A newspaper is not a weapon of war.” The French National Police is in pursuit of three suspects thought responsible for the shooting, officials said on Wednesday. It seems the attack was carefully planned as it apparently happened when an editorial meeting was taking place, meaning more staff members than usual were in the office. Workers elsewhere in the building fled to the roof as the attack took place. Photo of alleged Gunmen in France’s #CharlieHebdo shooting (pic via #LeMonde ‘s @EliseBarthet ) pic.twitter.com/BZETpanPSf — Mathieu Magnaudeix (@mathieu_m) January 7, 2015 Eyewitness Benoit Bringer told French television channel iTELE “about half an hour ago two black-hooded men entered the building with Kalashnikovs.” He described hearing a lot of shots a few minutes later. Another witness said he had heard 40-50 gunshots before seeing two people fleeing in a Citroen C1.

Devant l’immeuble, un témoin a entendu “40-50 coups de feu”et vu deux personnes encagoulées partir au volant d’une C1 pic.twitter.com/952OoSwy2s — Mathieu Magnaudeix (@mathieu_m) January 7, 2015 Visiting the scene, the French President Francois Hollande said the country’s threat level was now raised to the highest level and vowed to continue the fight against terrorism and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice. Police have launched a manhunt across the capital. Interior Minister Manuel Valls said three men were being sought. The Union des Organisations Islamiques de France (UOIF), which represents more than 250 Muslim organisations across France, condemned the killings. Religions, like all other ideas deserve criticism, satire and, yes, our fearless disrespect Salman Rushdie, author “Charlie Hebdo has just become the target of an appalling attack,” the group said in a statement. “The UOIF condemns, in the strongest possible terms, this criminal attack and these horrible murders.

“The UOIF offers its condolences to the families as well as the employees of Charlie Hebdo.” The attack on Charlie Hebdo coincided with the publication of a controversial novel by French author Michel Houellebecq, whose latest work Submission has been branded Islamophobic by critics. Houellebecq, whose caricature featured on the front cover of this week's edition of Charlie Hebdo, imagines France in 2022, with the leader of a fictional Muslim party winning the presidential election and curtailing civil liberties. Houellebecq has been accused of giving succour to the far right, but has denied charges of Islamophobia. Speaking in London, Prime Minister David Cameron said: “The murders in Paris are sickening. We stand with the French people in the fight against terror and defending the freedom of the press.” US President Barack Obama said he “strongly condemns” the horrific shooting, and promised to provide any assistance needed to “help bring these terrorists to justice”. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, condemned the attack and called for people to join a silent protest march on Thursday .

Charlie Hebdo has previously been firebombed after publishing a spoof edition in 2011 “guest edited” by the Prophet Mohammed. It showed a cartoon of Mohammed, with the words “100 lashes if you don’t die of laughter.” In 2006, the magazine, which prides itself on being offensive to practically everyone, republished cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed which had caused controversy when they first appeared in a Danish newspaper. The last tweet sent from the Charlie Hebdo account sent “best wishes” to the leader of the Islamic State militant group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Reports in France have suggested the attack was carried out during editorial conference to discuss the next issue of the magazine – an Islam-themed edition. Author Salman Rushdie said in a statement: “I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity. ‘Respect for religion’ has become a code phrase meaing ‘fear of religion.’ “Religions, like all other ideas deserve criticism, satire and, yes, our fearless disrespect.” Meilleurs vÅ?ux, au fait.

pic.twitter.com/a2JOhqJZJM After the Blasphemous US Movie ” Innocence of Muslims ” now the French Magazine Publishes Objectionable Cartoons of Holy Prophet | Jafria News After the Blasphemous US Movie ” Innocence of Muslims ” now the French Magazine Publishes Objectionable Cartoons of Holy Prophet Posted on by Jafria News JNN 20 Sept 2012 Paris : French satirical magazine has once again published offensive caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed PBUH on Wednesday as worldwide protests continue against a US film. France announced it would close embassies and schools in around 20 countries, fearing violence. Security has been increased at France’s interests abroad after a French satirical magazine published obscene cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. French embassies, consulates, cultural centres and schools in some 20 countries will be closed for the next few days as a precaution. French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published the caricatures on Wednesday, saying the illustrations would “shock those who will want to be shocked.” Highly Offensive illustrations of Prphet Mohammed PBUH were included among the various caricatures in the release.

Meanwhile, Russian news agency Interfax reported that Parisian kiosks sold out all copies of the magazine almost as soon as it hit the shelves. Charlie Hebdo’s website went down soon after the issue was published. A group of Pakistani hackers claimed to have taken down the official Charlie Hebdo website on Wednesday, saying they demanded freedom from hypocrisy from the French government. The group vowed to do “whatever is necessary to stop blasphemous content of our holy prophet” if the French government does not take action against “so-called blatant freedom of speech.” French Government ministers voiced concern at the Charlie Hebdo cartoons but defended the freedom of the press. Riot police have been deployed around the magazine’s offices in Paris. The magazine has confirmed that its website has been attacked. It was not accessible as of Wednesday morning. Its paper edition features caricatures which play on both the uproar in the Islamic world over an amateur video which mocks Islam and the row over the publication in France of topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge. French politicians and religious leaders have called for calm at the decision to publish the images amidst violent worldwide Muslim protests against the American-made film “Innocence of Muslims” that have been raging since last week.

Approximately 40 people have been killed in the wake of the violence across the globe. The dead include the US ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other Americans, who died in Benghazi. US and other Western embassies have come under attack in mainly Muslim countries. A tenet of Islam bans the portrayal of its founder, the Prophet Muhammad. As Any representation of the Holy Prophet Mohammed is considered insulting and blasphemous under Islamic law. ‘Disgraceful and hateful’ Charlie Hebdo (CH) is a satirical French magazine notorious for its criticism and controversy. – In 2006, CH reprinted a 2005 Danish cartoon of Prophet Mohammed PBUH with a bomb in his turban, which ignited protests. – Former editor Philippe Val was tried and acquitted of racial injury charges in French courts after reprinting the 2005 cartoon. – In 2011, CH released an issue with the Prophet Mohammed as a “guest editor.” The issue was called “Sharia Hebdo”; its Paris offices were firebombed shortly afterwards.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he was “concerned” at the cartoons and had ordered “special security measures… in all the countries where this [publication] could pose a problem”. The French schools are already closed in Tunisia. In Libya, French journalists are withdrawing from known hotels. And in the Muslim community of Belleville in Paris, they have been buying the latest edition of Charlie Hebdo just to rip it up. No wonder the French authorities are concerned. The French foreign minister acted quickly this morning in an attempt to suppress the anger, while articulating the government’s frustrations. The decision to print the cartoons at a time when Western embassies are already threatened, he said, would only “add fuel to the fire”. Last night Charb, the editor of Charlie Hebdo, told me he rejected criticism that he was inciting violence, putting French lives at risk. He was using the cartoons, he said, to make fun of the film rather than the Prophet. But he would know what the reaction would be. Even as he left his offices last night, the riot police were there, on stand-by as a precaution. And this morning the magazine’s website was hacked.

The French authorities have turned down an application from the Muslim community for a demonstration on Saturday. The request was initially lodged in response to the controversial American film. Mr Fabius says he “sees no reason to allow conflicts that do not concern France into the country”. But the government’s decision is harder to defend now that the magazine has decided to publish, though clearly there are public order issues. These are highly offensive images, even to non-Muslims. The closures relate to possible protests following weekly Friday Muslim prayers. No list of countries affected was immediately available. However, the following measures have been put in place: Security was being enhanced noticeably at the embassy in the Egyptian capital Cairo, as French schools and cultural centres in the country were set to close on Thursday The embassy in the Indonesian capital Jakarta announced on its website it would close on Friday French schools in Tunisia were due to close from Wednesday afternoon until Monday morning, and the embassy in Tunis will be closed on Friday The French government condemned the publication as needlessly provocative, while at the same time urging for cooler heads to prevail.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault’s office said in a statement, “In the current climate, the prime minister wishes to stress his disapproval of all excess and calls on everyone to behave responsibly.” “Freedom of expression constitutes one of the fundamental principles of our republic. Such freedom is exercised within the framework of the law and under the supervision of the courts,” the PM said. But US White House spokesman Jay Carney expressed concern at the decision to publish the cartoons, comparing them to the Innocence of Muslims video which caused uproar in last week. “We know that these images will be deeply offensive to many and have the potential to be inflammatory,” he said. “… We don’t question the right of something like this to be published, we just question the judgement behind the decision to publish it and I think that’s our view about the video that was produced in this country and has caused so much offence in the Muslim world.” ‘Stupid provocation’ Muslim leaders urged calm in France, which has the EU’s largest Muslim community – about 10% of the population.

The French Muslim Council (CFCM), the main Islamic body in France, on Wednesday accused satirical Parisian weeklyCharlie Hebdo of firing up anti-Muslim sentiment at a sensitive time, The Associated Press reported. “There is profound indignation at the publicati on of these cartoons,” the body’s leader Mohammed Moussaoui said. He also described the cartoons as “unjust” and “Islamophobic”. Mouassoui also called on the French Muslim community to “rise above their anger and not give in to the provocation”. “This is a disgraceful and hateful, useless and stupid provocation,” Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Grand Paris Mosque, said. He added, “We are not like animals of Pavlov to react at each insult.” Abdallah Zekri, President of the Paris-Based Anti-Islamophobia Observatory, also said his group is considering filing a lawsuit against Parisian weeklyCharlie Hebdo. “People want to create trouble in France. Charlie Hebdo wants to make money on the backs of Muslims,” he said.

Charlie Hebdo, known in France for its scatological cartoons, has caricatured other religious figures in the past, including a “Pope special” in 2008 which resulted in an unsuccessful court action accusing the magazine of inciting hate. One of the milder cartoons in Wednesday’s edition, the cover image, shows an Orthodox Jew pushing a turbaned figure in a wheelchair, with the caption “You mustn’t mock”. Among the explicit cartoons inside, one clearly parodies the topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge which appeared in Closer magazine, and resulted in an injunction on Tuesday. The editor-in-chief of the magazine, Gerard Biard, told the BBC’s World Have Your Say programme they had published the cartoons because the protests about the film were newsworthy. “These publications will not cost lives,” he said. “Who killed people? We are not killing people, I’m sorry. We are not the violent ones.

We are just journalists.” Magazine editor Stephane “Charb” Charbonnier said earlier: “I’m not asking strict Muslims to read Charlie Hebdo, just like I wouldn’t go to a mosque to listen to speeches that go against everything I believe.” In November, the magazine’s offices in Paris were gutted by a petrol bomb attack after it named the Prophet Muhammad as its “editor-in-chief” for an issue. Muslims in Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kashmir, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Gaza, Morocco, Syria, Kuwait, Nigeria, Kenya, Australia, Britain, the United States, France, Belgium, and some other countries have held many demonstrations to condemn the blasphemous film. Angry protesters across demand the US government apologize to the Muslim world over the anti-Islam movie. The American-made anti-Islam movie is said to have been made with the help of Jewish donations totaling USD 5 million. US sponsored Taliban and Al Qaida were created for this day, as this is because of them the Muslims and Islam both are being targeted and defamed.

They are the reason for Portraying Islam as the Religion of Hate and Brutality, and it is because of them that now Islam is stamped as the Religion of Sword , The Religion which is actually the sign of Peace and tranquility , has been stamped as the religion of extremism and hatred , as the plan which was made by the US and the West to defame Islam , as it was the most fast growing religion of the World , and as it was suppose to take over as the Biggest religion of the World in a decade or so , so it was planned much earlier . to curtail and check its growth the band of Terrorist were recruited with the help of the Saudi Monarchy , to Nurture the terrorist which will finally demoralize the Muslims of the World and Defame the Best Religion in the World , to be the Religion of Extremism and Hatred. And termed it as the Band of Terrorists.

Share & Promote the Message : Charlie Hebdo editors get standing ovation at PEN gala | Books | The Guardian Books Charlie Hebdo editors get standing ovation at PEN gala Event which sparked a writers’ boycott and caused bitter divisions in the literary world goes ahead, with playwright Tom Stoppard calling for conciliation Charlie Hebdo editor-in-chief Gerard Biard accepts his magazine’s award at PEN America. Photograph: Jemal Countess/Getty Images Wednesday 6 May 2015 10.53 EDT First published on Wednesday 6 May 2015 01.53 EDT Close This article is 1 year old Charlie Hebdo magazine received a controversial freedom of expression award from American PEN on Tuesday night despite the vocal opposition of many of its own high-profile members. The French satirical weekly – eight of whose staff and four others were killed in January when its offices in Paris were attacked by Islamist gunmen – was given the PEN American Center’s Toni and James C Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage award to a standing ovation from novelists, journalists and publishers at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The PEN gala came two days after two gunmen opened fire at a Texas competition to draw cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, and took place under heavy security, with uniformed police officers surrounding the museum. Accepting the award, Charlie Hebdo’s editor-in-chief Gerard Biard said that the magazine’s shocking and sometimes offensive content helped combat extremists who would limit free speech. “Fear is the most powerful weapon they have,” he said. “Being here tonight we contribute to disarming them.” Secularism was not the enemy of religion; it simply said that the state had no religion, Biard continued. “Being shocked is part of the democratic debate. Being shot is not,” he said. The decision to honour Charlie Hebdo has bitterly divided the literary community, with over 200 members of PEN signing a letter that said : “there is a critical difference between staunchly supporting expression that violates the acceptable, and enthusiastically rewarding such expression.” The magazine’s critics, including Peter Carey, Teju Cole and Rachel Kushner, who led a boycott of Tuesday’s event, said it that used racist stereotypes against the most marginalised members of French society, an accusation the editors reject.

Charlie Hebdo editors: 'We are not naive' Read more That protest caused heated debate, with Salman Rushdie – who lived under a fatwa from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini for a decade for writing the supposedly blasphemous Satanic Verses – described those who opposed PEN’s award as “fellow travelers” of the Islamic extremists who murdered the Charlie Hebdo staff, and argued on Facebook : “I fear some old friendships will break on this wheel.” More writers signed an open letter of protest , others stepped in to support PEN and Hebdo, and the literary world engaged in a on often ill-tempered discussion about the magazine’s treatment of minorities, the nature of hate speech, and whether an award can celebrate speech without endorsing the words spoken. PEN president Andrew Solomon, who had earlier told the Guardian that “it’s a courage award, not a content award”, delivered a full-throated defense of the prize on Tuesday night. “Few people are willing to put themselves in peril to ensure that we are all free what we believe,” Solomon said. “Tonights’s award reflects [Charlie Hebdo’s] refusal to accept the curtailment of speech through violence. “We defend free speech above its content,” Solomon said.

“Muteness is more toxic than speech. Silence equals death.” Biard and Congolese author Alain Mabanckou told the audience that Charlie Hebdo was and always had been “anti-racist”, a reply to the criticism that the magazine portrayed French racial and religious minorities in a stereotypical way. “Charlie Hebdo has fought all forms of racism since its inception,” Biard said. Mabanckou also argued that the magazine was simply received in France differently than in the US, and that misunderstandings had resulted from “cross-cultural exchanges: we all belong to one family and we’re all committed to freedom of expression”. Playwright Tom Stoppard , given a separate award for his acclaimed works in theater and film – also made a conciliatory appeal. The organisation admirably “draws attention toward a tension of persecution”, he said. “If we end up beating each other up then neither of [us] will exist.” Earlier on Tuesday, Jean-Baptiste Thoret, who received the prize with his colleague Briard, told Charlie Rose that Charlie Hebdo is “absolutely not the same” as the Texas contest because the magazine does not specifically target Islam.

Mostly, gala guests defended the award on principle – a point that the dissenting writers also believe in, if not to the same degree. All agreed that writers, artists and people everywhere should be able to speak freely, even when that their words may shock or offend. PEN executive director Suzanne Nossel reiterated this point, and called for all members and writers to “move on together in defence of freedom of expression”. The gala also honoured Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist imprisoned in Azerbaijan for her reporting on government corruption. An unedited version of this piece was posted in error. This version has been corrected. Charlie Hebdo defends religious freedom: editor Charlie Hebdo defends religious freedom: editor Charlie Hebdo defends religious freedom: editor More Washington (AFP) - The chief editor of Charlie Hebdo has defended the satirical magazine's controversial depictions of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, saying the cartoons safeguard freedom of religion. His comments were broadcast as five people were killed and churches set on fire in Niger on Saturday in fresh protests against the French weekly's Mohammed cover -- Charlie Hebdo's defiant riposte after two Islamist gunmen shot dead 12 people at the magazine in Paris.

Anger has mounted in several Muslim countries over Charlie Hebdo's caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, as jittery European countries step up security to thwart a repeat of the attacks in France last week that killed 17 in all. Gerard Biard, Charlie Hebdo chief editor, told NBC's "Meet the Press" program: "Every time we draw a cartoon of Mohammed, every time we draw a cartoon of prophets, every time we draw a cartoon of God, we defend the freedom of religion." In what NBC called his first interview with an American television network since the attack, Biard added: "We declare that God must not be a political or public figure. He must be a private figure. We defend the freedom of religion. "Yes, it's also the freedom of speech, but it's the freedom of religion. Religion should not be a political argument." Biard had been asked to respond to comments by Pope Francis, who condemned any killing in God's name, while also saying there are limits to freedom of speech and other people's religion could not be insulted or mocked. The full interview with Biard will be aired Sunday.

Reblog French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo is honored in New York under increased security | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis World French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo is honored in New York under increased security Gerard Biard (L), recently appointed editor-in-chief of the Paris-based satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, critic Jean-Baptiste Thoret (C) and author Salman Rushdie (R) attend the annual PEN American Center Literary Gala May 5, 2015 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where the freedom of expression award is being given to the Charlie Hebdo magazine. Shares1 Wed, 6 May 2015-09:50am , New York , Reuters The French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, targeted in a deadly attack earlier this year by Islamist gunmen, was honored on Tuesday at a New York gala under heavy security, organizers said. The award from the PEN American Center came two days after two gunmen opened fire at a Texas exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad, depictions that Muslims consider offensive. Drawings of the founder of Islam were also at the heart of the January attack on Charlie Hebdo's Paris offices that killed 12 people.

Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen claimed responsibility, saying the weekly's cartoons had insulted the Prophet. "Charlie Hebdo's current staff have persisted, and tonight's award reflects their refusal to accept the curtailment of lawful speech through violence," PEN President Andrew Solomon told the gala, filled with literary figures. Accepting the award, Charlie Hebdo's editor-in-chief Gerard Biard said the most powerful weapon of religious extremists is fear and "we must disarm them." They don't want us to write and draw. We must write and draw," he said. "They don't want us to think and laugh. We must think and laugh. They don't want us to debate. We must debate. "Being here tonight, we contribute to disarming them," he said. PEN's decision to give the Freedom of Expression Courage Award to Charlie Hebdo prompted six prominent writers to withdraw from the event, said PEN, an organization advocating on behalf of writers persecuted because of their work. One novelist who withdrew, Rachel Kushner, said she was not comfortable with Charlie Hebdo's "cultural intolerance," PEN said. Uniformed officers, counterterrorism units and police dogs were visible around the American Museum of Natural History, where the event was held.

Speaking outside, New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said there had been calls on social media for further violence since the Texas attack, which left the two gunmen dead. "Some of it is literally just that, chatter. But as we saw in Texas, some of it is indicative," he said. Charlie Hebdo was being honored "for the same things that brought that attack on in a very public venue in the heart of New York City," Miller said. "If you factored that, plus the events in Texas the other day where violence stirring around the same issue happened, and there are calls on social media for more violence around that issue against the same targets, this becomes a very obvious place to have a lot of protection," he said.

TOP Charlie Hebdo says prize protest a 'misunderstanding' Charlie Hebdo says prize protest a 'misunderstanding' Pin it Share Charlie Hebdo Editor-in-Chief Gerard Biard (L) listens as film critic Jean-Baptiste Thoret speaks at the Freedom House in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2015 (AFP Photo/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds) More Washington (AFP) - Two of the surviving journalists from French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo brushed off controversy over a literary award Friday. In January, 12 members of the magazine's staff were massacred when two Islamist gunmen -- enraged by caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed -- stormed an editorial meeting in Paris. This month, the publication is to be honored by the PEN authors association, but more than 150 writers have pulled out of the event in protest at cartoons they say are offensive to France's minority populations. Speaking in Washington, Charlie Hebdo's film critic Jean-Baptiste Thoret -- who only avoided the attack because he had been late for work -- said the critics had misunderstood the reason for the PEN award.

"Maybe there is a little misunderstanding, I guess they imagine this award was given to Charlie Hebdo regarding its content," he said. "There is a confusion. It's an award given to the principle of freedom of speech." Those pulling out of the May 5 annual PEN American Center gala include celebrated writers such as Peter Carey, Michael Ondaatje, Francine Prose, Teju Cole, Rachel Kushner and Taiye Selasi. Carey, a two-time Booker Prize winner, said the award went beyond the group's traditional role of protecting freedom of expression against government oppression. "A hideous crime was committed, but was it a freedom-of-speech issue for PEN America to be self-righteous about?" the New York Times quoted him as saying. "All this is complicated by PEN's seeming blindness to the cultural arrogance of the French nation, which does not recognize its moral obligation to a large and disempowered segment of their population." Charlie's editor-in-chief Gerard Biard dismissed this argument. "It's always gratifying to have a contrarian opinion, to say 'I don't think like the masses. I'm above all that,'" he told AFP. "That's their problem.

If they think PEN is no longer about protecting free expression, why don't they leave it?" Speaking at Freedom House, a democratic rights watchdog, Thoret pointed out that out of 500 Charlie Hebdo cover stories published before the attack -- only 11 dealt with Islam. "That's the reality," he said. "We have never publish racist cartoons. Historically, we are an anti-racist magazine. It's in our DNA. "Mohammed is an icon, a symbol. We at Charlie Hebdo are against icons -- like we are against soccer," he said. Reblog 2015 PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award - PEN America 2015 PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award 2015 PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award Charlie Hebdo “Being shocked is a part of democratic debate.

Being shot is not.” -Gerárd Biard, Editor-in-Chief of Charlie Hebdo (Read the full remarks from the 2015 PEN Gala award presentation here.) At the 2015 PEN Literary Gala, Paris-based satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo will be honored with the PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award. “It is the role of the satirists in any free society to challenge the powerful and the sacred, pushing boundaries in ways that make expression freer and more robust for us all. In paying the ultimate price for the exercise of their freedom, and then soldiering on amid devastating loss, Charlie Hebdo deserves to be recognized for its dauntlessness in the face of one of the most noxious assaults on expression in recent memory.” The January 7 attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo took the lives of eight staff cartoonists and columnists, a visiting writer, a building maintenance worker, and two policemen.

The day after the attack, the surviving staff of Charlie Hebdo magazine vowed to continue publication, releasing their next edition on time with a print run expanded from 40,000 to over eight million under the mantra “All is Forgiven,” donating all proceeds to the families of the victims. The Charlie Hebdo attacks dealt a blow to the bedrock principle that no act of expression, no matter how provocative or offensive, can justify violence. Charlie Hebdo film critic and essayist Jean-Baptiste Thoret, who arrived to work late on January 7 thus barely escaping the attack, will accept the PEN/James and Toni C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award on behalf of his colleagues, and will be accompanied by The New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff, who wrote a stirring tribute to his Parisian compatriots published in his magazine’s January 15 issue. Facts About Free Expression in France: • In France, “defense of terrorism” carries a sentence of up to up to seven years and a EUR 100,000 fine. A November 2014 law moved the offense to the criminal code, allowing for expedited proceedings in these cases.

In the week after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, there were at least 69 arrests on this charge. • The French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools bans wearing conspicuous religious symbols—including the hijab, Sikh turban, crucifix, and yarmulke—in French public schools. A 2010 law further bans any clothing that conceals the face, including the burqa, niqab, and balaclava, in public places. • French law forbids “insult,” “defamation,” or “provocation to discrimination, hatred, or violence” toward individuals or groups because of their origin, ethnic group, nation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or handicap, but protects blasphemy and challenges to religious ideas, symbols, practices, and leaders. Twitter Tweet your support for Charlie Hebdo and freedom of expression in France: No act of expression, no matter how provocative or offensive, can justify violence. #JeSuisCharlie #PENgala

Question: Gérard Biard is editor-in-chief of which Parisian satirical weekly magazine?
Answer: CHARLIE HEBDO